Understanding factors affecting users’ social networking site continuance: A gender difference perspective

Examining users’ knowledge sharing behaviour in online health communities

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework to examine users’ knowledge sharing in online health communities (OHC).

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the 326 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modelling was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

The results indicated that both information quality and service quality affect trust in community, whereas both informational support and emotional support affect trust in other members. Both types of trust and privacy risk determine users’ sharing intention, which in turn affects sharing behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that service providers need to improve their community platforms and create a supportive climate in order to facilitate users’ trust and their knowledge sharing behaviour.

Originality/value

Previous studies have examined a few determinants of OHC user behaviour such as privacy concern, trust and motivations. However, they have seldom disclosed the internal decision process underlying users’ knowledge sharing. This research tries to fill the gap.

Investigating user continuance intention toward library self-service technology

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to identify potential determinants of library patrons’ intention to continue using (continuance) self-issue and return systems for borrowing and returning books. The role of continuance is specifically interesting and is well-established in the literature of information systems (ISs) and marketing because continuance is considered to be the central element for the survival of ISs and of self-service technology (SST). However, the role of continuance has been neglected by researchers studying library SST adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model integrating the expectation-confirmation model of IS continuance with UTAUT was developed and empirically validated using data obtained from a field survey involving 128 active users of a self-issue and return system at a public library in Taiwan.

Findings

Library patrons’ continuance intention was affected by their post-adoption expectation of perceived performance, effort performance and facilitating conditions as well as their satisfaction when using self-issue and return systems. Moreover, a patron satisfaction level was influenced by performance expectancy and confirmation of initial expectations, whereas confirmation had a positive effect on all post-adoption expectations.

Originality/value

This study broadens perspectives on SST adoption behavior in the library context by identifying some factors that influence library patrons’ continuance decisions. Furthermore, the authors verified the applicability and predictability of the theoretical integration of ECT with UTAUT in a diverse setting because the authors sought survey participants outside of the college population.

Understanding users’ participation in online health communities: A social capital perspective

Due to the intense competition, it is crucial for online health communities to facilitate users’ participation and retain them. Drawing on the social capital theory, this research examined users’ participation in online health communities. The results indicated that social support, which includes informational support and emotional support, has a significant effect on social capital, which in turn affects users’ participation including health knowledge acquisition and contribution. The results imply that online health communities need to create a supportive climate in order to develop social capital and facilitate users’ participation.

Understanding Facebook to Instagram migration: a push-pull migration model perspective

Purpose

Emerging social networking sites (SNSs) are less advantageous than leading SNSs in attracting users. They might stand a better chance if they know what users want. The purpose of this paper is to study factors that urge Facebook users to switch to Instagram to reveal how latecomers in the SNSs circuit can win the hearts of users.

Design/methodology/approach

This study proposes an SNS switching framework that is adapted from the demographic Push-Pull (PP) migration model to investigate users’ switching intention. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the data collected from 260 Instagrammers who all had experience using Facebook before moving on Instagram.

Findings

Results show that socializing and system quality of the SNS negatively affect users’ switching intention, while attractiveness of the alternative, peer influence and critical mass do the opposite. Surprisingly, enjoyment is not associated with switching intention.

Research limitations/implications

SNSs switching may not mean a complete abandonment of previous SNSs. In many occasions, users simply become less active in one SNS and more active in other SNSs. The PP migration model provides a useful tool to understand the patterns as well as competing forces that influence the migration of SNS users, pushing them away or pulling them to new alternative sites. Specifically, pulling demonstrates to be a stronger influence than pushing.

Practical implications

This study suggests that SNS operators should satisfy users’ needs for socializing, maintain high system quality, provide peer influence tools and create their own attractive features, in order to retain existing customers or induce new users to switch.

Originality/value

This is one of the earlier empirical studies to investigate users’ switching intention from Facebook to Instagram with a valid sample. In addition, the present study approaches pull and push effects by multiple constructs, providing a clearer picture of what constitutes the pull and push forces.

Decomposing social networking site regret: a uses and gratifications approach

Purpose

Regret is an undesirable yet very common outcome of social networking site (SNS) use. To date, the literature has examined SNS regret at an aggregate level. The purpose of this paper is to decompose the dimensions and constituents of SNS regret into networking regret and brand page regret, to better understand it, and examine how the two facets of regret are created by SNS use intensity and gratification. The authors also decomposed SNS activities into networking activities and brand page activities and positioned them as predictors of networking regret and brand page regret, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors drew on uses and gratifications theory and positioned interpersonal connectivity and exhibitionism as the antecedents of networking activities as well as informational value and exhibitionism as the antecedents of brand page activities. The authors collected data from 246 Facebook users from France and analyzed the data using the partial least squares approach.

Findings

The results show that use intensity has a marginal effect on both brand page and networking regret. However, exhibitionism was found to reinforce the effect of use intensity on both brand page and networking regret. It also had a positive effect on both networking and brand page activities. The other two gratifications, interpersonal connectivity and informational value, had a positive effect on networking and brand page activities, respectively.

Originality/value

To date, empirical attempts at investigating decomposed SNS regret have been rare. The paper fills this theoretical and empirical gap and contributes to the literature on regret in an SNS use context.

Information self-disclosure on mobile instant messaging applications

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework, which identifies intrinsic, social and extrinsic gratification factors as essential individual factors influencing users’ disclosure of personal information via mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications (apps). In addition, the author has examined whether gender affects those different factors of gratification.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected via paper-based survey from university students who use MIM in the United Arab Emirates. Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses that are presented in the model.

Findings

The findings show that intrinsic gratifications (entertainment and escapism) and social gratifications (social interaction) have positive effects on the depth and breadth of self-disclosure via MIM apps. Additionally, women’s self-disclosure of personal information is positively affected by social influence, while men are not influenced by this type of gratification.

Originality/value

The study aims to enhance the current understanding of the limited research on the uses and gratifications approach within the context of MIM apps to identify the gratifications that motivate MIM apps users to disclose personal information.

Emotion in enterprise social media systems

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate enterprise social media systems and quantified gender and status influences on emotional content presented in these systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Internal social media messages were collected from a global software company running an enterprise social media system. An indirect observatory test using Berlo’s “source–message–channel–receiver” model served as a framework to evaluate sender, message, channel and receiver for each text. These texts were categorized by gender and status using text analytics with SAP SA to produce sentiment indications.

Findings

Results reveal women use positive language 2.1 times more than men. Senior managers express positive language 1.7 times more than non-managers, and feeling rules affect all genders and statuses, but not necessarily as predicted by theory. Other findings show that public messages contained less emotional content, and women expressed more positivity to lower status colleagues. Men expressed more positivity to those in higher positions. Many gender and status stereotypes found in face-to-face studies are also present in digital enterprise social networks.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include generalizability: all data were collected from a single enterprise social media system.

Practical implications

Managers establishing codes of conduct for social media use will find this research useful, particularly when promoting awareness of emotional expressiveness in online venues with subordinate colleagues.

Originality/value

This study offers a behavioral measurement approach free from validity issues found in self-reported surveys, direct observations and interviews. The collected data offered new perspectives on existing social theories within a new environment of computerized, enterprise social media.

Introduction of a New Mobile Player App Store in Selected Countries of Southeast Asia

Trends in modern society have a significant impact on the way organizations operate. The use of mobile phones makes it possible to create completely new high-availability communication and business channels. Mobile phones are used in mobile marketing, which has come to the fore via SMS marketing. In this article, the focus is on the use of mobile phones in e-business. The introduction of a new mobile player app store was analyzed through research conducted in 2017. The aim of the research was to find out whether it is possible—in terms of the sustainability of the consumption of a marketing product—to introduce a single campaign with the same content but in different language mutations in selected markets, or whether it is necessary to use a completely different campaign and means of communication for each market. Overall, 287 respondents from the Philippines, Thailand, and India were examined. The dependency between the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents (country, gender, and age) and site engagement was tested, and user experience was tested, too. The results of the research revealed that there was no dependency between belonging to the selected countries and site engagement. Furthermore, there was also no dependency between gender and site engagement. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant dependency between belonging to the country and the design of the website.

Understanding online knowledge community user continuance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the social cognitive theory to identify the determinants of online knowledge community user continuance, which reflects a user’s continued use.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the 271 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modelling was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

The results indicated that the cognitive factors of outcome expectation and the environmental factors of system quality and knowledge quality significantly affect a user’s continuance intention, which, in turn, affects continuance usage.

Research limitations/implications

The results imply that service providers need to enhance community platforms and improve knowledge quality in order to retain users and facilitate their continuance.

Originality/value

Although previous research has examined online knowledge community user behaviour from multiple perspectives such as the social exchange theory and the motivational theory, it has seldom explored the relative effects of personal cognitions and environmental factors on user behaviour. This research fills the gap.

Live, visual, social, and mobile: media ecology in emergencies and ordinary times

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze contemporary uses and gratifications (U&G) of the media, focusing on the differences between emergency and ordinary times, and between media consumers in the border region and in the home front during the Israel-Gaza War (2014).

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a questionnaire containing 184 items. This significant number of items was necessary due to the large number of media channels and potential uses examined. Due to the length of the questionnaire, and the inclusion of individuals who are not habitual internet users, data were collected in the field rather than through a telephone survey or online. The list of media and uses was compiled based on a review of existing literature regarding functions of media in emergencies.

Findings

Television and news websites are dominant suppliers of national and local information, but mobile and social channels lead in terms of social uses, discussions, requests and provision of assistance. The same channels were almost always used during emergencies and ordinary times to satisfy a specific need. The leading channels – television, Facebook, WhatsApp and SMS – were used significantly more on the frontlines than on the home front. The findings demonstrate that people use diverse media, but channels that are live, visual, social and mobile are dominant.

Originality/value

Very few academic studies have compared media uses during ordinary times and emergencies, and those existing focus on the uses of a specific medium. The present study examines various U&G of traditional and new media during the war, compares uses during the war with uses during ordinary times, and compares the population in the border region with the population in the home front.

Examining User Adoption of Mobile Augmented Reality Applications

As an emerging service, mobile augmented reality (AR) applications have not received wide adoption among users. This may affect the successful implementation of AR. Integrating both perspectives of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and flow theory, this research examined user adoption of mobile AR applications. The results indicated that performance expectancy and the flow experience consisting of perceived enjoyment, attention focus and perceived control significantly affect usage intention, which in turn affects actual usage behaviour. The results imply that service providers need to improve the perceived utility and user experience in order to facilitate user adoption of mobile AR applications.

Examining Mobile SNS Continuance from a Dual Perspective of Social Capital and Privacy Concern

This article contends that due to the intense competition, it is crucial for mobile social networking services (SNS) providers to retain users and facilitate their continuance. Integrating both perspectives of social capital and privacy concern, this research examined mobile SNS continuance. Social capital includes three dimensions: structural capital, relational capital and cognitive capital. The results indicated that both social capital and privacy concerns have significant effects on continuing usage. The results imply that service providers need to develop social capital and curb privacy concerns in order to facilitate users' continuance usage of mobile SNS.